Book Review: Gotham Academy vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy

Title: Gotham Academy, Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy

Authors: Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl

Rating: ☕ ☕ ☕ (3)

First off, the art is great. The background art is fantastic and the color pallet is perfect; it really makes Gotham Academy look and feel like a creepy Gothic castle. However, I just wasn’t feeling it. The story felt like the Batman version of Scooby Doo, only without the dog (although there is a killer Croc). The series takes place within Gotham Academy, a boarding school that is funded by the Wayne Foundation. The main character is Olive Silverlock (who, incidentally, has silver hair), due to a mysterious incident over the summer she has become withdrawn, breaks up with her boyfriend, and avoids her once close friends. She also has a grudge against Batman, and to be honest, he’s not doing much to try to win her over. While all this is happening, there are reports of a ghost haunting the school. Olive is skeptical but is eventually roped in to the investigation by her ex’s little sister Maps.

If the intended audience was children, then I think the writers hit the mark. It’s a good series to get kids into the Batman universe without all the gratuitous violence and adult drama. I’m interested to see where the story goes because there is potential there, but I’m worried it’s going to become a story about a bunch of meddling kids unmasking fake monsters.  

Book Review: Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside

Title: Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside

Author: Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher

Artist: Babs Tarr 

Rating: ☕ ☕ ☕ (3)

Geez, I’ve been reading a lot of comics and graphic novels lately. I was given the opportunity to read the “soft” reboot of my favorite Batgirl, Barbara Gordon. This version has Barbara moving to Burnside for a fresh start as she pursues her PhD. It’s been three years since her spinal injury, but she’s back to her crime fighting ways and ready to take on the city. I was looking forward to reading this collection because it was rumored to have a lighter tone compared to Gail Simone’s New #52 Batgirl series. I loved Simone’s work but it was a little too serious for my daughter, so this seemed like a somewhat age appropriate way to introduce her to Barbara Gordon.

I wanted to love this, I really did, but somehow it just fell flat for me. This was indeed a “lighter” storyline and, aside from a few panels, I would feel comfortable handing it over to my daughter to read. The art was fun and colorful. I really liked Batgirl’s motorcycle jacket-style costume, it was practical, functional, and definitely more realistic than some of the other superhero costumes out there.

Since this the first volume, there isn’t much character development for the new supporting characters, but I already love Barbara’s research assistant Nadimah Ali. In some ways Barbara is still recovering from her injuries. In a fight, sometimes she is slow to react, and while I appreciate that the writers aren’t automatically showing her in top form, I also feel she is missing the emotional side of her recovery.  I also liked how they used social media in the storyline, it was almost a character in its own right. The writers did well showing all the great things that can be achieved with social media and coding, but they also show how dangerous this technology can be when it’s in the wrong hands. 

This reboot got off to an okay start, and I hope the story gets better as it progresses but I wouldn’t be surprised if it continues to fall flat. I love Barbara Gordon as Batgirl (and Oracle) so I hope we get to see more dimension in her character and the supporting characters.

**NetGalley provided me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**